EDITORIAL - The tip of the iceberg

If you’re wondering why revenue collections are down, you can take a look at the case of Ernest Fajardo. Last week the National Bureau of Investigation accused Fajardo of the capital offense of plunder for cheating the government of at least P53 million in revenues.

That Fajardo was a Customs collect-or assigned at the NAIA hardly came as a surprise; the Bureau of Customs consistently ranks high in studies and surveys of the most corrupt government agencies. The amount involved, however, is still staggering. An initial audit conducted by the Commission on Audit had shown that from January to October last year, Fajardo allegedly failed to remit P20,118,355 from the sale of documentary stamps. Further investigation showed that since 2000 Fajardo allegedly failed to remit a total of P53,214,258. The Bureau of Customs and the NBI demanded the money. When Fajardo failed to comply, he was arrested and charged with plunder.

So far the 45-year-old Fajardo has not denied the charges. Reports said he had been with the Customs bureau since 1982. In his 20 years in the service, how long has he been skimming revenues? And how much has been the take, if it is true that he raked in over P53 million in just three years? This is a racket merely involving documentary stamps at the international airport. The business must be just as lucrative or even more so at the waterfront. How much do Customs personnel earn for every container van filled with smuggled goods, from clothing to rice and even vegetables and meat?

No wonder studies have estimated that the government has lost billions of pesos over the years from corruption. At the Department of Public Works and Highways, one official alone allegedly pocketed more than P50 million by seeking reimbursement for fictitious vehicle repairs in less than two years.

The good news is that Fajardo was caught and is being prosecuted. But how many public officials are out there, stealing from national coffers, bilking a cash-strapped government of badly needed earnings?